The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn’s Quest dated

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment today confirmed that The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn’s Quest will launch in Spring 2010 on Wii, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2 and PSP. The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn’s Quest, according to WBIE, is the first videogame offering an authentic The Lord of the Rings gameplay experience designed for all ages to enjoy. We shall see, WBIE.

In The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn’s Quest, players assume the role of Aragorn as he tackles his greatest quests from The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Wielding a sword, shield, bow and spear, fans will have to battle enemies, lead armies and journey through Middle-earth. The game also offers two-player co-op gameplay featuring Gandalf as a playable character for those too overly enamored with the famous white wizard.

The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn’s Quest is being developed for Wii by Headstrong Games and for Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2 and PSP by TT Fusion.

PS2 Hits 50 Million Milestone

If Sony has one beam of sunshine in the hardware market it is the staying power of the PlayStation 2, which has an installed base of 50 million users. In December the system sold an additional 206, 000 units, according to NPD Group numbers for the month. That’s a pretty impressive achievement considering that that the PS2 is almost nine years old. The PS2 is obviously doing well because the economy is not; a new PS2 costs a mere $129 USD, while some titles can be picked up for as little as $19.99. You can expect Sony to keep the PS2 around for another year as it runs out its ten-year life cycle.

While Sony will entertain the praise being heaped on the success of the PS2, it won’t entertain talk of a price cut. The company has publicly said that it is comfortable with the system’s current price and that cutting it does not make a whole lot of sense to them. The company seems to have this philosophy for the PS3, which analysts believe could stand a cut to stay competitive with the Xbox 360 and the ultra popular Wii. Still, there is a lot to be said about sticking to your guns, even if doing so flies in the face of common sense and conditions in the marketplace.

Sony Unveils God of War 3 Details

You just can’t keep a good god down these days. While Sony has already been teasing God of War 3 and the series’ debut on the PS3 ever since the release of God of War 2, short of a teaser image and a blink-and-you’d-miss-it clip from E3, there hasn’t been much word coming out of Mt. Olympus on the further adventures of Kratos. That all changed last night, as Sony unveiled the game’s first gameplay trailer during the Spike TV Video Game Awards in Los Angeles, along with new game details released to the press this morning.

Developed by Sony Computer Entertainment’s Santa Monica Studios, God of War 3 is set to cap the epic story of the Spartan Kratos, as he slices and dices a path of revenge through the pantheon of Greek gods who have betrayed him. According to Sony, God of War 3 is being developed on a scale that is four times larger than Kratos’ last outing in God of War 2 on the PS2.

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DSi Rules Japan

Japanese hardware sales for Nov. 3 - Nov. 9 shot that the new Nintendo DSi is doing pretty well in the region, beating out every other platform out there including the usually impressive PSP. The DSi sold 104, 897 units during the week, followed in the distance by the PSP at 40, 726 units, the Wii at 24, 726, the PS3 at 18, 354 and Xbox 360 at 12, 759. The good old DS Lite, one the standard bearer of Nintendo’s hand-held business in Japan, is the real victim here; the system moved a meager 8, 381 units, only beating out the PS2 which moved 5, 743 units.

You can see the list - in order - after the break:

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NBA Live 09 Cover Athelete Revealed

Electronic Arts signs San Antonio Spurs pointguard Tony Parker to be the cover athlete and spokesman for NBA LIVE09. In his seven NBA seasons, the 26 year old is a two-time NBA All-Star, has three NBA championships and was named the 2007 NBA Finals MVP. Parker will be the first European born global cover athlete of NBA LIVE.

Parker is joined by the NBA’s biggest international starson packaging around the world, including the Los Angeles Lakers’ PauGasol (Spain), Toronto Raptors’ Andrea Bargnani (Italy) and Chicago Bulls’ Luol Deng (UK).

NBA LIVE 09 will be available for the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PlayStation 2 and the PSP on October 7 inNorth America, and on October 14 worldwide.